Headed into the Olympic year, and coming off of an incredible summer where she took World Championship gold, Florida sophomore Elizabeth Beisel isn’t playing any games early in the NCAA season. On day 1 at the All-Florida invite in Gainesville, she put up some incredible early season times.
In the 500 free, she took a huge win in 4:42.00, which is easily the best time in the country so far this year. It’s hard to make a good comparison as to what that time means this early in the season (she didn’t swim it last year until SEC’s), but needless to say that mark should stand as the country’s top time for at least the next 4 weeks or so.
She followed that swim up with a 1:58.05 in the 200 IM to take a dominant win there as well. Behind her for 2nd in that race was teammate Teresa Crippen in 2:01.72, which in itself is a very fast opening-meet time, but left her a couple of body-lengths behind the dominant Beisel. For that swim, we do have a fair Beisel comparison from her freshman year, where she was almost three seconds slower the same weekend of last year. One can’t help but wonder if Gregg Troy has mixed up the training ever-so-slightly in the Olympic year to try and somehow balance the NCAA and Olympic needs of his elite swimmers.
Beisel led off the 100 back in 55.03. That’s another mark that stands as the best in the country this year (though it wasn’t quite as dominant as her other races).
Florida’s Sarah Bateman, who the team will be relying on heavily as by far their best sprinter, also had a very good first day. She won the 50 free in 22.90 and was even quicker on the 3rd-leg of Florida’s winning 200 free relay with a 22.42 relay split. Though Bateman’s a great sprinter, her ability in the longer events can’t be underestimated, as she also took 3rd in the 200 IM.
Florida is still searching for another sprinter to complement Bateman on the relays. None of the Gator freshman had all that big of meets, though breaststroker Rebecca Rainer did have a nice split of 1:02.69 to lead the meet on the 400 medley relay.
Florida State sophomore Tiffany Oliver also had a solid first day. She placed 4th in the individual 50 free (23.52), but split a 22.98 on a relay.
In the men’s competition, we may have gotten our first taste of just how badly the Florida men are going to be missing their graduating class. Florida State kicked off the meet with a dominant win in the 200 free relay in 1:21.15 – led off by a 20.30 from Mark Weber and anchored by a 20.00 from Trice Bailey – with the Gators touching 2nd in 1:23.71. Their best swim was probably a leadoff by Bradley DeBorde in 20.90, but didn’t quite have the depth to match four 20-points from the Seminoles.
Freshman Carlos Omana, on the other hand, showed that this freshman class does have some real talent in it for the Gators that will pay off in the long term. He won the men’s 500 free in 4:24.43. That knocks about four-tenths off of his career-best time, which is great for a first swim. One presumes he’s undergoing a similar training plan as Beisel, given their similar specialties. Florida junior Jason Taylor touched 2nd in 4:24.52.
In the next event, the 200 IM, sophomore Marcin Cieslak won in 1:48.49 to affirm his importance on this team. Not far behind, however, were freshmen Matt Elliott in 1:48.75 and a surprising Eduardo Solaeche Gomez in 1:49.08. For the 17-year old Spaniard, that’s an excellent time, as nobody was quite sure how the semi-anonymous young swimmer would translate into yards swimming. So far, so good, and that time was done even on a slow-ish breaststroke leg, which is Solaeche’s best stroke.
Elliott would impress further in the 400 medley relay where he split a 54.95 in the 100 breaststroke en route to a Florida win in 3:20.14. For those Division-II fans out there, Florida Southern upset some much bigger competitors to take 2nd in that 400 medley in 3:24.49. That includes a 50.15 backstroke leadoff from Jeb Halfacre that was the fastest in the field.
Florida State’s Mark Weber had himself a heck-of-a day 1 as well, including a win in the 50 free in 20.30, which is the best flat-start in the country this year.
Team Scores
Women
1. Florida, University of 317
2. Florida State University 273
3. Florida Gulf Coast University 200
4. University of Miami 183
5. Florida Atlantic University 91
6. Florida International Univ. 90
7. University of North Florida 40
8. Florida Southern College 29
9. Nova SouthEastern University 17
Men
1. Florida, University of 320
2. Florida State University 306
3. Florida Atlantic University 219
4. Florida Southern College 142
5. Nova SouthEastern University 136
6. University of Miami (diving only) 20
Not to correct you but to add perspective, Beisel swam the 500 at the All-Florida Invite last season on October 1st, and swam 4:46.66.